Prices of wheels are a lot. Loest I found is $87 and the highest is $500 for a 16" wheel. The $500 includes the cost of import from Asia. Why is the price different so much? Any negative issues with buying cheap wheels?

where it's manufactured - cost of marketing - type of materials - type of manufacturing (i.e. forging, semi-solid forging, casting (different types of castings as well) all play in factoring how much a wheel cost.

IMHO - you get what you payed for so i tend to stick to the name brands like Enkei, Volks, 5Zigen etc... Don't forget about after the sale customer service as well.

YMMV

this has been gone over before, but you really do get what you pay for

cheap wheels may look good from a distance, but up close the finish and fit are nover going to come close to the more expensive wheels.

but you can find wheels that are reaonably priced that are of great quallity...

, i was originally going to go with cheap knock offs and then after giving it a lot of thought i decided to go with quallity and wait, rather than get something cheap and run the risk of not being happy.

so i wanted to get the 18" Racing Heart CR's but they are like $2800 with tires... there's no way i can ever justify that so i looked around and found some rims that i really liked, made by Axis (who make great high quallity wheels) that will set me back about $1700 with tires.

i could get some replica RH CR's for around $1000 with tires, and while they look OK i'm willing to spend the extra cash to get something that's goig to last the lifetime of my car and something that i'll be very happy with knowing that i didn't skimp.

think about it this way, wheels make or break a car, and you'll probably only buy 1 set of them for your car - unless you're insane like adrian ;) so think if by skimping on your wheel choice if you will be happy with it and would spending the extra cash be a worthwile investment?

a few extra months of saving may gain you years of satisfaction!

Brian

well said besk!


also remember that the wheels/tires are the first thing that touches the road - you wouldn't want to skimp on something like that would you?

You dont always get what you pay for. Usually, with wheels though, you do.

I just bought two sets of 18s, one for my S and one for the scion. Each one of my S wheels cost as much as the entire set did for the scion.

One thing that wasnt mentioned is desired offsets. Usually, with the more expensive wheels, you can attain the exact fitment you are looking for without the use of spacers. Generic wheels only come in one basic size and offset where the real wheels have options.

That being said, the scion is only a 14k car. IMO, it doesnt deserve the real deal. Surely I will get flamed for this, but my race car is more in need of money.

Last thing, i totally agree with what Gforce said about the last tihng that touches the road. Tires are one thing i will not skimp on. Only Toyos for my rides :)

Here are the generic wheels i spoke of. Once the spacers go in and she gets lowered, i m sure it will work nicely.
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid89/pb11fea8a53515217ecbb9e575f107446/fa80d1b4.jpg

also remember that the wheels/tires are the first thing that touches the road - you wouldn't want to skimp on something like that would you?

i have to agree with you on this. no one thinks about this when buying this kind of product. people also don't give the same thought to the suspension.

everyone gets whatever they want.
some people finds it OK to spend like almost 1500~2000 for 15"
rims. but somepeople find it whack to even pay 1500 for 18's..
so its all what u want and wat u feel... i persoanlly think that
quality and quantity is 2 different things that people over look.
i can understand that many cheaper companies offer a pretty darn
good product. but sometimes, you do get what u pay for!

take like a cheaper company, tenzo, or adr or something.
i've heard of people breaking the rim, or the finish on the lip
starts to fade because the clearcoat is ____ty.. i mean maybe they
took care of it wrong, but i've noticed nicer rims, stay nice and clean,
and retain its value much better/longer than knock offs and cheaper stuff.

but whatever you do, its your own thing =)
im on 9 spoke wheel covers lol

u get what u pay...

also because the more expensive wheels last longer, it helps with resell.

dunno if this comparison will help:

buy a kia - lotsa features for little dough - go to resell it or trade it in and you'll prob get very little for it or some dealers wont even bother taking it in as a trade.

buy a toyota - pay more up front but when it's time to resell or trade, you'll prob get close or near KBB value for it and you'll most likely won't have to wait long to sell it either. I mean, who doesn't want a Toyota? hehe..

but like anything you own, make sure you take care of your investment - try to prevent curbing, wash your wheels regularly (and wax it too since it's also a painted surface - also helps with brake dust removal), armor all those tires, etc... what you put into maintenance can pay off alot when it comes time to resell it.

sorry for long rant...

everyone gets whatever they want.
some people finds it OK to spend like almost 1500~2000 for 15"
rims. but somepeople find it whack to even pay 1500 for 18's..
so its all what u want and wat u feel... i persoanlly think that
quality and quantity is 2 different things that people over look.
i can understand that many cheaper companies offer a pretty darn
good product. but sometimes, you do get what u pay for!

take like a cheaper company, tenzo, or adr or something.
i've heard of people breaking the rim, or the finish on the lip
starts to fade because the clearcoat is ____ty.. i mean maybe they
took care of it wrong, but i've noticed nicer rims, stay nice and clean,
and retain its value much better/longer than knock offs and cheaper stuff.

but whatever you do, its your own thing =)


im on 9 spoke wheel covers lol


Caught you Joey...I knew that the dark color xB you brought out to the meet was yours..finally...If you need anything holla at us...we'll try to hook you up...

I paid $660 shipped for my wheels on my Cirrus which I'm dumping when the Scion gets here. I figure for that $$ I'll just throw them out in a year or two. I paid over 2K for a set of crome Enkei's and after I had to replace my 2nd wheel and 3K in total for wheels I said never again. Crome wheels with spinners are great but I'd rather have a 40in plasma for the same price in my Scion.

these are some pretty Awesome wheels:

http://www.jessejameswheels.com/

check out the .44's!

if i was going to run 18" wheels, i would like to have those...

the steel looks like liquid....i think they would look great on a lowered xB....

I got the MSR 113's in gunmetal with Kumho Ecsta Supra tires for under 800. They seem like quality wheels, for a cheap price.

http://frisbyracetire.com/113_small.jpg

did you get your wheels in town arin?

Yes I did...at R4L over by votech highschool on mountain vista.

well said besk!


also remember that the wheels/tires are the first thing that touches the road - you wouldn't want to skimp on something like that would you?

Well said. You don't want to skimp on the rims or tires. They are vital and make a huge difference to your driving. Get a brand name rim AND tire combo with size and offset that you want and then ask yourself what you feel most comfortable paying for them or what your limit is on the cost. Sometimes you can negotiate a deal. But don't chinse on the cost for these.

hey i went to votech! sweet

ya, you should go over to R4L and tal to Ramone...he is a cool ___ black guy, and his last name is "Casual"...How cool is that?

I think he may have made it up though.

But ya, you can get some sweet deals on wheels there.

I paid $660 shipped for my wheels on my Cirrus which I'm dumping when the Scion gets here. I figure for that $$ I'll just throw them out in a year or two. I paid over 2K for a set of crome Enkei's and after I had to replace my 2nd wheel and 3K in total for wheels I said never again. Crome wheels with spinners are great but I'd rather have a 40in plasma for the same price in my Scion.

AGREED.

lol. when cars turn into money pits, sometimes u might
regret it, but then again, its a hobby, its a lifestyle, its
what people live for. many people spends thousands on paint,
custom this and that, and even more on custom audio
setups. the LONGO YELLOW SCHOOL BUS XB
costs $40,000! hahah tahts like almost 3 xb's!

I got the MSR 113's in gunmetal with Kumho Ecsta Supra tires for under 800. They seem like quality wheels, for a cheap price.

http://frisbyracetire.com/113_small.jpg

alot of manufacturers seem to have this wheel ... mine are Katana S7 and they look the same...


http://images.cardomain.com/member_images/10/web/406000-406999/406172_19_full.jpg

i have Nitto Extreme tires on mine. paid less than $800 with tires

Motegi also makes it....the MR7

http://www.motegiracing.com/wheels/media/mr7_sv.jpg

See...those 3 wheels look extremely similar, and are made by all sorts of brands. Do you think there is some significance to that?

The ORIGINAL wheel that designed is copied from is the ADVAN Model 7 wheel.

ADVAN is a very good and well established japanese wheel company who sponsor and participates in many JGTCC events.

All these copies everywhere...I mean the look is the same, but you guys even found yourself that like 3 + different companies all make wheels the same style.

BTW...the REAL DEAL ADVAN wheels cost $495.00 a wheel in 18x7.5

When your set of 4 copies cost the same as one original wheel...you do the math...there is something you do get for that extra money you pay for the real thing folks!

But if just the way they look is all you care about--go for any design you want!

I got the MSR 113's in gunmetal with Kumho Ecsta Supra tires for under 800. They seem like quality wheels, for a cheap price.

http://frisbyracetire.com/113_small.jpg

alot of manufacturers seem to have this wheel ... mine are Katana S7 and they look the same...


http://images.cardomain.com/member_images/10/web/406000-406999/406172_19_full.jpg

i have Nitto Extreme tires on mine. paid less than $800 with tires

i have the Drag version of those wheels too. I cant say what I paid for them, but the deal was smokin'. and the quality is good.
http://www.dragwheels.com/dragwheels/dr5/DR-5-SILVER.jpg

advan 7

http://dmmotors.com/manager/prod/data/1004096477/wheel-5.gif

They are all good looking wheels....as far as getting more...I doubt it....I am sure the advan is of a better quality, but MSR, Motegi, and drag are all of reputable quality....and have all been known to be reasonably sturdy.

So as long as I am just buying some commuter wheels, and dont plan on racing, I would not pay an extra 300 a wheel for nice advan center caps.

im a beleiver in gettig what you pay for, thats why my custom blackies are the bomb....free jst remove the hubbies...! ha but seriously i ll be rocking those untill i have saved up for the works....not too bad a price at autobacs, like 238 a wheel. oh well, theyll come eventually.

brent

u always get what u pay for.
think abotu tools..
SNAPON.. VERSUS "mADE IN TAIWAIN"
i personally would love to have snap on
or craftsman everything but hell im a kid
and i can't afford jack.
so i goto those cheapy hardware stores, pick
up those "DEALS" like 10 bucks for a socket
set or 10 bucks for a wrench set..
metric of course.. BREAKS ON THE FIRST TRY!
i was ____ed off! but it hits me.. i get what i pay for,.
kinda ironic how 1 snap on wrench costs more than
my entire set. snap on is GOOD GOOD GOOD ____.
whereas the posers aren't.
i even got boxed wrenchs were u can rock them
abck and forth with that socket clicking action..
mine fell apart..
thats just one example of how u get what u pay for.

im not saying copied rims will fall apart.
but im sure u lose out on things like
WEIGHT(extra weight on fake ones)...
INTEGRITY(the originals might be more strong).
and the name/color/finish.
goodluck to those who are lucky enuff to afford
the REAL deals.. and goodluck to us poor folks!

That is true... But then again is all up to you. When I bought my street wheels, I got a FAT DEAL on them, and because of that, I can easily replace one if it gets bent, if i tire goes out blah blah. Now when i actually get my bling bling show wheels, because I wont be riding around on them all the time, I have a less chance of bending them, curbing them etc... That's just how I look at it.

Ya but just remember - whether you buy your rims for $500 or $3500, when your parking and accidently curb a rim, or run over something in your lane on the FWY - they're all going to get F'd up - so that's something to think about also.

If you think about it, there's only one true disadvantage to buying expensive, quality wheels, and that is, they are expensive. So if you can justify the costs to yourself, then by all means, go with the quality. But if you HONESTLY HONESTLY can't justify spending that money, then go with something cheaper. But then just remember that you do get what you pay for, so don't be surprised if what you end up with is not as good as you'd like (though that's not to say that cheaper wheels are not good, because more and more of them are getting better these days).

That pretty much sums it up--thanks Van..haha. I wish you were in So Cal bro...!!!

Anyway...for me, my first set of wheels were some fake racing hart c5 wannabes that I had for my integra. I thought I was the bomb, and everybody jocked my tyte rizide. well, not exactly, but I thought the rims were nice, and hell, i paid a lot less than the guys with real Racing Harts!

Slowly but surely, i began to hate myself for getting the knockoffs. You could tell they were fakes just by looking, and I knew myself most importantly that I was trying to fake the funK!

Wheels are something you shouldn't skimp on, as they really do MAKE or BREAK your ride...you can have a mean body kit, crazy exterior options and lights everwhere, etc...and have whack wheels...and your car will look like ___.

OR you can have just a nice clean stock ride with some high quality sharp looking wheels...which will really really make people take notice.

One thing people have to always keep in mind...QUALITY over QUANTITY.

And people saying how one brand is very good vs. other reputable brands...how in the world does a certain rim company become reputable in your eyes...this question bugged me while I was at school the other day, and I'd just like to get your thoughts on that...what makes brands like Tenzo, Motegi, ADR, ---Volk, Work, etc REPUTABLE and QUALITY? I already know my answer...i'm waiting on yours.

do you guys know if Velox wheels have good quality? cuz i have those velox vx8's

velox is a reputable company too...so u dont have to worry about quality :lol:

hmm
thinking about that brand and reputation or whatever..
WHAT MAKES people know or believe..
bmw is better than kia?
somethings a kia or daewoo can have a FISTFULL of options/features..
and the price is a FRACTION of a bmw or benz..
why do sum get benz and some buy KIA/DAEWOO?
would u rock a daewoo lanbanza or whatever? or a lexus is300?
im sure the seating room isn't too far off from each other..

theres PLENTY of people rocking kia's and daewoo's and happy
and think they got a good price.. and good deal..
then tehres plenty of people with a BASELINE civic(same price)
btu with ROLL UP(manually) windows.. NO power doorlocks..
MAYBE a/c(option) and no automatic tranny..(optional)..

FULLY LOADED KIA = baseline civic...
now can someone explain to me why some choose a civic(crappy as it may seem)
over a loaded kia?

im not being sarcastic.. i just thought its a good point to bring up..
that might open up people's minds/thoughts about rims.

Well, you've got two different sets of values: perceived value, and real value. A car like a Kia has a low perceived value (i.e. everyone KNOWS they're cheap doo doo cars...), and it has a low real value (i.e. it's literally cheap in $$). You can't argue with real value... cuz that's set. But perceived value is something that is sort of subjective, as a too-proud Kia owner might think their car is the bomb diggity and worth way more than it really is. Now if you took a new '04 Mercedes E55, it's got high perceived AND real values. So think of your expensive wheels as Benzos... everyone knows they're quality and $$, and of course, you pay the $$ for them. But now you consider the cheaper wheels, that are definitely cheap in price, no doubt about that, but not everyone realizes that, and thus, their perception of the value of those cheap wheels is higher than their actual real value!

Of course you've also got those compromises which have a lower real value, but with a perceived value that actually is really good (though not necessarily high) ... "compromises" like the Scions. They're amazingly cheap, and you get a lot of car for the money. Very few wheels out there fit the same bill... but there's probably a few...